“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

A Mission that Leads to Joy

1.      Identity in Teaching

Something that we’ve looked at multiple times as we went verse by verse through John’s gospel account is why he wrote it. The idea that John was led to write an account of the life and ministry of Jesus isn’t an outlandish concept, but with Matthew, Mark, and Luke already written and known within the church, what was the purpose? John shares many events not covered in the synoptic gospels, from the wedding at Cana, and Jesus’s meeting with Nicodemus, to the resurrection of Lazarus, and the High Priestly Prayer. He also gives different insight or elaboration to stories we already know, such as Jesus’ teaching after feeding the 5,000 that He is the Bread of Life, or clarifying the specific prophecies that were fulfilled through Jesus’ time on the cross. John gives us, in a single statement, his reasoning and motivation for his writing, beyond simply adding new detail to the story, or giving more historical context. John 20:30–31 tells us,

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

His closing words add to this, saying in John 21:24–25,

“This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

John’s gospel was written under divine inspiration that the reader might believe in the Truth of Jesus, and through that belief and the power of that Truth, you would have life. It is not an exhaustive biographical account, it is not meant to detail every moment of Jesus’ life on earth, or even of His ministry, but to give the one reading the information to solidify their faith in Jesus, the Son of the Living God. This was the aim at the time, and it remains the aim today – there is never a time when this is not true, and there is never a time where the world does not seek to combat this truth. Part of what John was combating in his gospel account was the rising, and subversive teachings of the Gnostics. Fascinatingly, through the work of the Spirit, this gospel also stands to combat the heretical teachings of Arianism which would rise many years later. Gnosticism is a practice based around “special knowledge,” “gnosis” being the Greek for “knowledge” or “awareness.” Gnosticism can actually be a broad term, and in many cases seems to stand on its own as a false religion, largely on liberation of the perceived “divine spark” that exists within each person, seeking to overcome the corrupt flesh through special knowledge leading to enlightened transcendence. It teaches a loathing and contempt for the physical world, and an aspiration toward the spiritual and a supreme god who they believe did not create the material world. They apply physical creation to the work of a lesser being, fought against and seen as an enemy, who is sometimes heretically considered to be the Living God we see in the Old Testament. Just as the Israelites committed the sin of blending the worship of God with that of empty pagan idols, so there were those who tried to take the gospel and twist it through a lens of Gnosticism. This is where ideas like Jesus play acting His way through the crucifixion, pretending to endure the pain, while actually being a spiritual being comes from. This is also where the teaching that there was no bodily resurrection comes from, saying that Jesus rose only as a spirit. Conversely, Arianism, which would gain traction later, taught that Jesus was not God, but was a separate, created being. John’s account of Jesus after the resurrection dispels both of these heresies, as we see that the first two times He appears to the disciples (John 20:19-23, and John 20:26-29), Jesus comes to them behind locked doors, unhindered by the physical world, displaying the wounds to His body, breathing on the disciples as a living person, and inviting Thomas to touch Him. John’s gospel begins by declaring that Jesus is God, John 1:1–5,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Jesus is not only Spirit, and He’s not only flesh and blood – He’s both. Fully the Son God, fully the Son of Man, and this is what John teaches through his gospel account, that Jesus is the manifested Word of God, the essence of the Father brought to bear in the physical person of Christ the Son. Understand, John didn’t write solely to combat Gnosticism, nor was God’s only purpose in His Apostle’s writing to strike down the future heresy of Arianism. John wrote so that the reader might believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God, crucified and raised up again, so that we may know eternal life in Him. It is this teaching that we see flow from John’s gospel, into his letter, 1 John. It’s interesting to note that every letter in the New Testament, from Romans to Revelation begins with the writer identifying themselves, with the exception of four – Hebrews, whose writer is ultimately anonymous, 1, 2, and 3 John. But it would be a mistake to look at the opening of 1 John and not think that John is announcing who he is, as we can see his identity in his teaching if we’ve read his gospel. John 1 started by making sure we understood that Jesus was preeminent, eternal, present in the beginning because the beginning was in Him.

“That which was from the beginning,”

John 1:2

“He was in the beginning with God.”

“Which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—”

John 20:19–20,

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

“The life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—”

John 1:14,

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

“That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

John 1:12–13,

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 14:23–24,

“… If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

“And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

John 15:10–11,

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

It’s not that the introduction of 1 John isn’t affirmed or supported by other passages of Scripture, but we can see the direct parallels with John’s gospel, and that his teaching is entirely congruent here as he begins his letter. John doesn’t begin by saying who he is, he doesn’t open with an appeal based on his Apostolic standing, and he does start off by screaming about the heresy of Gnosticism. As in his gospel where he never gives his name, he stands on the authority of his teaching, he affirms himself in the Truth. This is an act of love for Christ and the church, it’s an act of obedience in his calling from God, and we can clearly identify John by what he teaches – just as we should be identifiable as servants of God by what we teach. As we begin the process of going verse by verse through 1 John, we’ll see a number of subjects covered from a number of angles. The letter is less linear than many others we see in the New Testament, and I’ve read it compared more to a symphony that works in circles, rather than a directive that moves in one line. However what we can see is that everything is grounded in the central theme of knowing our identity, not through the world, or a sense of self, but through the Truth of God, and the transformative relationship we have with Him through Jesus.

2.      Identity in Testimony

If we know John through his teaching, then a key component of this is seeing his testimony. John’s gospel stands on the foundational Truth that Jesus is God, but something we see him do on occasion is appeal to his own credibility as an eyewitness. In John 1:14 he writes,

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

This tells the truth, but specifically does so as one who has witnessed personally. This is something that John does when clarifying that Jesus died on the cross, dispelling the teaching that He may have only been unconscious or comatose, in John 19:33–37,

“But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken.’ And again another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they have pierced.’”

Here John asserts his position as an eyewitness while also weaving in the prophetic fulfilment of what he bore witness to. Seven times we see John say “we” in the four opening verses of today’s passage. This isn’t to communicate that there are multiple people behind writing the letter, but ties this opening to the close of his gospel account. We see him use “we” in John 21:24,

“This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.”

This helps us see that while he was an eyewitness, he was not alone in this – multiple people bore witness to what John has written of, but the fact that his testimony is that of a firsthand witness bears relevance. This is the same weight we see him lean on as he opens 1 John, giving a similar appeal to what we see from Peter in 2 Peter 1:16,

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

The thing that’s so crucial is to understand that while being an eyewitness lends credibility and credence to John’s words, it’s not just that he’s an eyewitness that matters, but what he’s testifying to. Luke’s gospel is written entirely secondhand, Luke being a gentile convert in the early church, interviewing eyewitnesses and compiling his gospel account – yet his inability to give firsthand account doesn’t harm the truth and validity of his writing, as it stands on Christ. If our testimony does not stand on Christ, it is not God who suffers, but us. John’s testimony validates the connection between his gospel and 1 John. Likewise, our testimony must show a connection between what we profess in our own lives and Christ. Our identity does not determine our testimony, but rather our testimony determines who we are. Regardless of what circumstances we’ve come from, we were all lost to sin, and we know salvation only through the blood of Jesus. Hebrews 2:1–4 says,

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

That first sentence, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it,” carries the same warning as 2 Peter 1:5–9,

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.”

Any testimony, whether from an Apostle of Jesus, or from a believer today, if it lacks Christ as its center, is worthless. If Jesus is not set as our cornerstone, if He is not the rock upon which we stand, then we drift. We become nearsighted to the point of blindness. We neglect the sight with which we’ve been blessed, and lose our identity, forgetting who we are in Him. John’s testimony is beautiful and powerful, and we can know him by it as we transition into the letter of 1 John – but its beauty, and power, and authority rest entirely, not on John, but on the Word and Life that he proclaims.

3.      Identity in Joy

John isn’t shy about his purpose in writing his gospel, making it crystal clear that he writes so that you might believe. Now, at the close of his introduction to 1 John, he gives us his purpose in writing, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” After entering Jerusalem for the week of the final Passover, we see Jesus say in John 12:23–28,

“..The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name…”

During the High Priestly Prayer, we see Jesus say to the Father in the presence of the eleven remaining disciples in John 17:13–17,

“But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

The joy of Christ was in the will of the Father – and this is the joy He gives to us. The world seeks joy in the fulfilment of self, while in Christ we are called to know true joy in serving the Father. Jesus said to His disciples in John 20:21,

“… Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

This is a summary of the great commission, given in greater detail in Matthew 28:18–20 where Jesus says,

“… All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John, Apostle of Jesus Christ, is now an old man and elder of the church. While we don’t know every detail of his life, we have assurance that he has served Christ faithfully, shared the Truth with the world, and we could think that with writing his gospel account, his mission is complete, he’s done the work that he was given. The great commission, to share the Truth of the gospel is the responsibility of every Christian – but it’s not our only responsibility, not our only calling, and our joy may be complete in every way that we might serve our Father. John 21:15-19 shows the conversation between Jesus and Peter, witnessed by six other disciples including John, where Peter is formally reinstated as a follower of Jesus. As Jesus asks Peter three times to affirm his love for Him, taking back the three denials, Jesus gives Peter three orders. “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” “Feed my sheep.” While incredibly relevant to Peter, we are mistaken if we think that these tasks are only for him. The church is designed to have leaders – shepherds to guide and nourish the flock in imitation of Jesus as the chief Shepherd. Peter says just this in 1 Peter 5:1–4,

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

Paul addresses the matter of church leadership, saying in Titus 1:5,

“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.”

Paul goes on to write in Titus 2:1, 7-8,

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” … “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

We are not all called to lead in the same way, but we are all called to lead. We are all called to hold our identity in serving Christ above all else. And this is what we see from John as we begin his epistle to the early church. Plagued with the same problems we face today of twisted doctrine, and subversive teachings that seek to hijack the gospel and use it for self-gratification and worldly pursuits. John is continuing his mission as a follower of Christ to shepherd the flock of God, that others might know and grow in Christ, and that in continuing to fulfill the calling of serving the Lord, his joy may be complete.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQKpYNp4YOs